Reliant Presents #4

I have been hard at work on the fourth issue of Reliant Presents. I am pleased to say that I have 11 pages now complete (penciled, lettered and inked), and the cover is done as well. I should have the issue ready to ship to the printer in about two weeks time.

I will most likely be debuting the cover next week, right here! Things begin to kick into high gear with this issue, trust me...issues 5 and 6 are going to be action packed.

I did receive the new issue of Relian Presents #4. I am really beginning to like the character Mari. Can't wait to see what she does next.

Also, on page nine the shadow on the wall produced by Dr. Donald Hoover is strange to say the least. What's with that?

I really like the creative way that you draw things from different angles instead of just straight pictures like on page three when you show the picture of the glass from the top and the hand holding it through the bottom. I just think stuff like that makes it more interesting.

Also, whose thumb print and retinal scan did you use for Dana Prescott?

Just for an interesting discussion, can you tell us how you picked the names of your characters?

beatlesmama wrote:I did receive the new issue of Relian Presents #4. I am really beginning to like the character Mari. Can't wait to see what she does next.

Also, on page nine the shadow on the wall produced by Dr. Donald Hoover is strange to say the least. What's with that?

I really like the creative way that you draw things from different angles instead of just straight pictures like on page three when you show the picture of the glass from the top and the hand holding it through the bottom. I just think stuff like that makes it more interesting.

Also, whose thumb print and retinal scan did you use for Dana Prescott?

Just for an interesting discussion, can you tell us how you picked the names of your characters?

Thanks for the feedback! It's nice to know which characters people like the best...it's hard to predict on my own. By all means, let me know who you like or don't like.

To answer your questions, on page 9, the shadow cast by Dr. Hoover was symbolic in nature, not to be taken literal. Look back to issue #1 for insight to that. (I'm keeping this answer spoiler free, for anyone who hasn't read the series yet)

I'm glad you like the way I plan the views from each panel. I like to do that because it makes it more interesting to me while drawing...also, I know it breaks things up a bit during "talky" scenes for the reader. It's essentially a full time job putting an issue together, from plotting to printing, and it only takes something like 10 minutes to read, so it's nice to hear that people notice different things. Besides panel arrangement, I sometimes like to slip goofy things in the background...check out the meeting room scene from issue 3 as an example. Things like that can also build up on a characters personality too.

As for whose thumbprint and retinal scan were used for Miss Prescott, they're hers, obviously! Dr. Wells is the kind of guy to keep meticulous records. (truthfully, I just googled "thumbprint" and "retinal scan" and used the first girly looking ones I saw) Besides giving miscellaneous information about Dana, that panel also showed how she radiates a glow about her, even when her pyrokinetic abilities are not in active use, when viewed via electronic devices, such as the heads-up tac display in Dr. Wells' helmet. I don't think the overall effect came off so well? Live and learn, I guess.

As for how the characters names were picked, that's an interesting question. Some, like Dracula, Orlok and Dr. Wells are characters in the free domain to use by people. I did choose the first name for Mari myself, from using an online british names listing ("Mari" is short for her full name...very british). It will be revealed, in full, coming up.

As for the rest of the original characters, Craig named them. I'll have to get him to answer that, because I don't know where he got the names from! Maybe from people he spies on through their windows at night? The phone book? I'll ask him.

I'll be sure to let Mari know you want to see what she does next. The pressure will be on her to make sure she doesn't let you down.

I don't think anyone's ever asked that? There's no great mystery or anything. Usually Bill sends me a character outline, with a name and a general summary of who the character is, how they relate to the story, etc., and I just fill in the blanks around that.

If I'm coming up with the name, it can be totally random, or, in some instances, I'll poke around IMDB, CNN, Wikipedia, and jot down some names that catch my eye for whatever reason.

Sometimes the character dictates it....say Bill wants a female character, a mysterious scientist, with an international background. I'll try to find a name that fits that background, something unusual and a bit more memorable than, say, "Jenny Jones"

By the way, I'd like to point out that the opinions expressed by Craig are entirely his own and in no way should be seen as shared by myself and/or Reliant Publishing. (that should satisfy the Jenny Jones' of the world)